GILPIN — ON THE MAMMALIA OF NOVA SCOTIA. 55 



does the Virginia deer. The very bright rust on the fore legs, 

 caused under a a strong glass by the absence of minute black hairs, 

 existing in the summer coat, can only be accounted for by shed- 

 ding. In the few polar hares I have studied, from Labrador and 

 Newfoundland, the entire animal is pure white except edge and tip 

 of ear black ; a very faint rust on the fore arm just points to a 

 semblance with ours. The summer pelage is a beautiful pencilled 

 French grey, with the entire ear of a velvet black, at least that was 

 the colour of a skin from Labrador. 



The Cariboo. 



Vervus iarandus, cariboo, (Linn., 1792.) 

 Hangifer, cariboo, (Aud., Bachman, Baird.) 

 Oervics, tarandus, (Godman, Harlam.) 

 Hangifer, tarandus, (Dekay.) 

 Oervus tarandus, Sylvestris, (Richardson.) 

 Tarandus, rangifer, (J. B. Gray.) 

 Cervus, haslalis, (Agassiz.) 



From these synonyms we learn that the doubt still unsettled, 

 whether our Cariboo and the Lapland Reindeer are identical, 

 commenced with the great father of the science, Linnaeus. That 

 there should be seven or eight synonyms since his day, and that 

 such men as Dekay should call him Rangifer tarandus, and 

 J. B. Grey of the British Museum, Tarandus rangifer, and 

 neither accept Linnaeus' specific *^ Cariboo," argues little for that 

 simplicity of nomenclature now so greatly needed. It would go a 

 great way to solve the doubt, if a thorough and scientific descrip- 

 tion of our cariboo could be made and recorded ; but for this at 

 present I have no materials, and so seldom now have we the 

 unbroken deer brought to town, I fear years might elapse. The 

 following description from my recollections taken from one live 

 one, and the carcasses of many dead ones must suffice : — 



A full grown cariboo stands about three or four feet at the withers, 

 the doe something less ; the head is large and narrow, the forehead 

 having no dish in it, but straight, the lower line also straight ; the muzzle 

 entirely hairy. We miss the wide swelling forehead, the elegant curve 



